UK-based Tanzanian musician Saidi Tumba to perform at Tropical Pressure Festival

United Kingdom-based Tanzanian musician Saidi Tumba Kanda will today be among highlights of the Tropical Pressure Festival at Chapel Hill, Cornwall in South West England.

Saidi and his Mvula Mandondo Tolekaa group will be performing alongside  other artistes during the festival which was due to start yesterday and end tomorrow.

Other artistes invited to take part include Sanchez & Regg, Cable Street Collective, DJ Fifi, Isa Bell, Tikal and the Kizomba Band.

Speaking to Saturday Nation earlier this week, Saidi lauded the organisers for giving him an opportunity to perform at the multinational festival in England.

“Through such events, we get opportunities to interact with artistes from different countries,” he said.

Saidi, an accomplished percussionist, and his Mvula Mandondo Tolekaa group, specialise in traditional folklore blended with contemporary upbeat African dance beats.

 He has lived in England for over 30 years popularising East African music there.

Prior to going solo, he was formerly with the Tanzanian Orch Super Matimila band as a kongas (tumba) player under the leadership of the legendary Dr Remmy Ongala ‘Sura Mbaya’.

 During his stint with the Super Matimila he featured on some of the popular songs like Kifo, Mariam wangu and Muziki Asili Yake Wapi. He recalls having remained behind in England to further his career after a UK tour by the Super Matimila band. 

“It has been a long musical journey having learnt to interact with various kinds of artistes,” he said.

This weekend’s festival is among the many similar summer music festivals taking place at various spots across Europe, USA and Canada.

Elsewhere Soukous music fans in Canada were last weekend treated to the Afrofest music festival that was held in Toronto. Among those who performed were   Paris-based Congolese musicians Nyboma Mwandido, Dally Kimoko, Komba Bellow and Caen Madoka.